Lawsuit filed over chaotic Dallas cheerleading event, citing injuries and security failures
The Brief
A lawsuit has been filed against the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Varsity Brands, and Varsity Spirit after a chaotic incident at a national cheerleading championship in March caused injuries.
The incident, which resulted in a stampede and injuries including broken bones and brain bleeds, was triggered by a fight between two parents, not an active shooter as initially feared.
Victims are seeking over $1 million in damages, but their attorneys emphasize the lawsuit's main goal is to push for improved security measures at large events.
DALLAS - A lawsuit was filed on behalf of several people who were injured when chaos ensued at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center during the all-star national cheerleading championship in March.
While they are asking for $1 million in damages, the victims' attorneys say the lawsuit was filed with the intent of changing security measures at these large-scale events.
What we know
The management groups for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, plus the cheerleading company, Varsity Brands, and Varsity Spirit are facing a lawsuit over the all-star national championship competition.
A video from that March weekend shows mass pandemonium as thousands ran in every direction when word spread of a potential active shooter.
Dallas police concluded there was no active shooter. It started as a fight between two parents that knocked over several poles and created loud bangs.
What they're saying
Ashlea Schwarz is an attorney representing the victims in the case. The lawsuit says during the stampede of thousands, her clients suffered broken bones, severe head injuries, and some were separated from their children or parents for hours.
It describes one parent who had a "stampede of attendees" running toward her. She "fell and lost consciousness" and "suffered two brain bleeds".
The lawsuit also describes a 13-year-old girl who got her hand "stuck in a door" "which required surgery". Separated from her team, she "hid underneath a semi-truck".
"How the stampede began and how the crowd crush started. Is not really what's relevant. What's relevant is what they did, and they didn't do after the crowd crush started," said Schwarz. "Just because you weren't shot does not mean that you don't have an injury."
Schwarz says her clients are seeking over $1million in damages that would go toward medical bills and mental health treatments, but the lawsuit was filed to highlight alleged inadequate security measures that were in place during the event.
"People got trampled, and varsity and the convention center were not ready for it, and they were not equipped, and didn't follow through on their basic duty to provide safety to the patrons at their events."
Schwarz believes this won't be the last lawsuit filed about this incident as hundreds have reached out with their own complaints.
She hopes it has an impact and creates change when it comes to safety at these large-scale events.
"This massive stampede of 1000s and 1000s of people happened, and because no one was shot, we just said, Oh, it was no big deal. And that's part of the purpose of the case is to show that it is a big deal and that these kinds of things can be prevented and should be prevented."
What's next
FOX 4's Amelia Jones reached out to all the defendants in this case, including Varsity Brands and Varsity Spirit, the cheerleading companies who put on the competition.
FOX 4 asked for any statement or comment on the lawsuit and is still waiting to hear back from all of them.
The Source
Information in this article was provided by public documents from Dallas County.
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